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Fox News removed from former producer’s sexual assault lawsuit against ex-anchor Ed Henry

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A U.S. District Court judge has dismissed a claim made by a former Fox News producer, alleging that the network failed to address inappropriate sexual conduct by their ex-anchor, Ed Henry.

Jennifer Eckhart, formerly an associate producer at Fox Business Network from 2013 to 2020 on Fox News Media, filed a lawsuit against Henry for sexual misconduct. The network itself, Fox News, is also involved in the suit because Eckhart alleged that they knew about Henry’s harassment of women and didn’t take steps to stop it.

Judge Ronnie Abrams disagreed.

According to Abrams’ judgment, Fox News can only be held responsible for Henry’s actions towards Eckhart if it was aware or ought to have been aware of his alleged misconduct and didn’t take steps to stop him. However, based on the available evidence, the Court concludes that no reasonable jury could come to such a decision.

The court did not agree with Eckhart’s claim that her dismissal from Fox News was due to her reporting sexual harassment. Instead, according to Fox, she was let go in 2020 following multiple instances of poor job performance.

According to Henry, now aged 53, Eckhart exploited and seduced her when she was just 24 years old by misusing his influence over her professionally and personally. The lawsuit claimed that he demanded her to become his “sexual servant” and warned of retribution and reprisal if Eckhart failed to fulfill his sexual requests.

Based on the presented evidence, it’s alleged that Eckhart and Henry initiated a romantic involvement in 2014, with Eckhart serving as a White House correspondent for Fox News at the time. She claimed their first intimate encounter, which took place in Henry’s hotel room, was non-consensual. However, Henry contested this, stating it was consensual.

Eckhart explained to the court that she didn’t resist or refuse Henry when they met at the hotel, as she was scared of his possible retaliation if she objected.

In September 2015, during his visit to New York, she encountered Henry once more. It was revealed that he had requested Eckhart to mail her lingerie to him in an envelope, which she did, apprehensive about potential “work-related repercussions” if she declined, according to her own words.

Later on, Eckhart encountered Henry in a short-term workspace. Court records indicate that, according to her, Eckhart performed an oral act on him. However, both parties have different perspectives on this incident: Henry claims it was consensual, while Eckhart asserts she agreed due to fear of retribution.

Testimony from Fox News indicated that they were unaware of Eckhart’s connection to Henry before she submitted her complaint. They worked in separate departments within the company, and Henry did not oversee Eckhart’s work.

In the ensuing months, they exchanged messages of a suggestive nature. They reunited in 2017 when Henry was in New York for the “Fox & Friends” co-hosting gig. Eckhart claimed she was assaulted during that meeting, while Henry characterized it as ‘rough sex’.

According to Eckhart’s statement, Fox News acknowledged that Henry’s interactions with women were inappropriate due to his being suspended for four months in 2016 over an extramarital affair with a Las Vegas stripper. The corporation advised him to attend a rehabilitation program for sex addiction, which he followed, as indicated by the case evidence.

Hollywood Inc.

Prior to revolutionizing television with the debut of Fox News, Roger Ailes was widely recognized as a top-notch political media tactician in his field.

When Henry returned, he was given a promotion to weekend co-host of “Fox & Friends.”

Even though Fox News executives knew about Henry’s extramarital relationships, there were no prior harassment allegations against him that the company had received. However, it was Eckhart who filed a complaint on June 25, 2020, shortly after she was let go. Six days later, Henry was terminated following an investigation by external lawyers.

At the point when he was dismissed, Henry served as co-host for the three-hour news program “America’s Newsroom.” Since then, he has moved to the smaller conservative network Newsmax, which has recruited former journalists and hosts from Fox News who were let go due to sexual harassment claims.

Fox News expressed satisfaction with the court’s ruling, a stance that requires no further explanation. A representative from Fox News issued a statement, revealing that the network was unaware of Mr. Henry and Ms. Eckhart’s relationship or her accusations until after she had departed from the company. It is only Mr. Henry and Ms. Eckhart who truly understand the events that transpired between them.

Eckhart’s sexual assault case against Henry is progressing. She intends to challenge the decision to exclude Fox News from the lawsuit.

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2025-03-13 23:31

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